How To Install a 5.0 Exhaust System

One of our friends recently traded his '01 Mustang GT Bullitt and supercharged '65 Mustang coupe for a '74 DeTomaso Pantera--the fantastic Ford-powered, mid-engine Italian exotic you rarely see these days. However, once that transaction was complete, he was left without a daily driver to commute back and forth to work as a county sheriff's corrections officer.

Still an avid Mustang lover (even though he now owns that radical Pantera), his dilemma was solved in the form of a creampuff '95 Mustang GT coupe he scored for the screamin' price of $5,200. And since the car was 100 percent stock, it serves as the ideal subject car for a series of sensible but effective upgrades that will make it more fun to drive on the street.

Since our buddy's SN-95 5.0 also represents the final year of pushrod 5.0 production, it's an even more interesting car to work with. We decided to begin with the installation of a complete exhaust system, which in our case included a set of BBK shorty headers, a BBK two-cat X-pipe, and a DynoMax after-cat exhaust that includes mufflers and tailpipes, all of which are available from California Mustang. A solid, well-proven combination that resulted in a mellow but still authoritative tone, we also wanted to test the setup on a dyno to see what power gains might be achieved even though the car was otherwise bone stock (see sidebar).

There were issues with the car that had nothing to do with the parts we installed, so our results weren't what one would expect. But we pressed forward, knowing we could correct the car after the system was installed.

Furthermore, we had the pleasure of working with X2C Motorsports, a competent late-model Mustang performance shop in the Los Angeles area. The techs at X2C made it look easy, having the whole system on the car in well under four hours, even though we stopped them often to photograph the installation.

1 Unlike many cars, including vintage Mustangs, installing an exhaust system on a late-model Mustang is a made-to-fit procedure. It's mainly a bolt-on affair with no welding required. Of course, having the car on a hoist makes the job much easier. The task can be done on jackstands, but as with any undercar project, having a lift helps. We begin by disconnecting the battery, coating the nuts and bolts with spray lubricant, and unbolting the stock H-pipe from the mufflers. Be sure to remove the oxygen sensors from the H-pipe with a 22mm wrench.

2 Next, unbolt the front of the H-pipe from the stock manifolds by removing the flange nuts from the collectors with a half-inch-drive ratchet and correct-size socket. Although the X2C techs use an impact gun, a standard half-inch-drive ratchet, extension, and socket will also work. Next, disconnect the thermactor-air tube so the pipe can be removed.

3 Once the stock H-pipe is separated from the manifolds and mufflers and unbolted from the hanger mount, it can be removed from the car. On '94 and newer Mustangs, the bolt-on hanger system makes it considerably easier to R&R the pipe compared to the steel slide-in type used on '86-'93 Fox 5.0s.